The invention relates to a method for preparing a series of mail pieces and to an apparatus for assembling mail pieces.
In order to assemble mail pieces with an apparatus, before starting a job in which a series of mail pieces is prepared, a job setting is inputted by selecting a number of settings or, for repeatedly occurring types of jobs, a combination of job settings stored in a memory is selected. The job settings include settings such as the type of documents, number of items of documents, way of folding, or feeding enclosures from feeding stations.
In European patent 0 556 922 it is disclosed to feed and scan a number of documents prior to starting a run. Data regarding these documents, such as length and identification, as obtained in scanning, can be stored. These data can subsequently be used in controlling the system, for instance for actuating selected feeder stations for feeding one or more documents contained therein, or for setting a folding station. In particular, it can be determined which insert documents are located in which feeder stations. These feeder stations can then be actuated, when assembling the mail items, depending on indicia on the main documents, which indicia indicate what insert documents are to be added. Accordingly, in that case, the system itself determines which feeder stations are to be actuated during that run in order for the correct insert documents to be added to a main document.
In European patent 1 084 978, it is disclosed to automatically determine whether a feeder station is to be brought into an operating condition or non-operating condition, depending on the detection, or non-detection, in a setting phase, in which of the feeder stations mail components are present. Subsequently, in an operating phase, exclusively feeder stations that are in operating condition are controlled for activation, Thus, exclusively those feeder stations in which mail components are present are brought into an operating condition, without the operator needing to determine which feeder stations are to be active or non-active.
Such automated self-setting of an apparatus increases the convenience for an operator. However, an operator still needs to specify whether, during a job, the processing of postal items is to be controlled in accordance with marks or other patterns read from postal items. In many cases it is also required that the operator inputs data defining how markings are to be processed.